Commuters who were most severely affected by the disruption to trains caused by the introduction of a new timetable earlier this year are now being offered compensation.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) launched the first stage of its compensation scheme on Wednesday (August 29), and have begun to contact qualifying season ticket holders to notify them of how much money they are entitled to.

The scheme has been set up after thousands of trains were delayed or cancelled following the timetable changes on May 20.

Passengers across the country were affected by the disruption, and “as a way of saying sorry”, additional compensation is being offered to qualifying Thameslink and Great Northern season and non-season ticket holders who were “most severely affected” between May 20 and July 28.

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As well as this, regular travellers such as part-time workers who do not have a season ticket could also now be eligible for compensation.

The scheme consists of three phases, with phase two involving the company contacting commuters who were not contacted during phase one, and inviting them to claim compensation online. This will be come into practice by the end of September.

Phase three, which will be arranged “as soon as possible”, will see GTR invite those without season tickets to claim compensation.

Many East Croydon commuters will be entitled to compensation (Image: Jack Taylor/Getty Images)

Passengers who qualify for compensation are those who have made a minimum of three days’ return travel in any week, Monday to Sunday, between May 20 and July 28.

Compensation is based on the cost of tickets purchased for a period of between one and four weeks. The value of compensation may vary according to ticket type, GTR has said.

Croydon Central MP Sarah Jones has been campaigning for additional compensation to be made available for a number of weeks, and is pleased Croydon commuters can now benefit from the scheme.

“This is long overdue compensation for Croydon passengers who suffered appallingly following the bungled timetable change earlier this year,” she said.

“The Government have announced yet another inquiry into Govia Thameslink, but transport secretary Chris Grayling has repeatedly failed to take any action to improve the situation for Croydon passengers.

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“I'm pleased Govia have agreed to extend the compensation to all frequent travellers on the disrupted services, not just season ticket holders. I urge any passengers who think they might be eligible for compensation to check online.”

Although Mrs Jones is happy about the compensation scheme, she remains concerned about the “appalling” rail service being offered, and believes a publicly owned railway would solve many of the problems.

She said: “After suffering such an appalling service for so long, the news last week that rail fares are set to rise by 3.5 per cent yet again from January is a kick in the teeth for Croydon passengers.

Passengers waiting for a train at East Croydon station

“We need a publicly owned railway where profits are reinvested for passengers, not pocketed by shareholders.”

Rail operator GTR, which is responsible for Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services, has come under severe criticism since the new timetable was brought in, as it led to countless cancellations and delays.